Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
21~8767
SAND SEPARATION SYSTEM
Background of the invention
1 .Field of the invention
This invention relates to a system for sand separation from saline solutions. More
S particularly this invention relates to separation of sand from sea water or ocean water. The
invention is applied in the areas where it is necessary to use sand from the sea and to separate it
from the sodium chloride and other dissolved ingredients in the sea water, in aim to use it for
concrete production.
2.Prior Art
The prior art is focused mainly on the filtration by using a vacuum or capillary process to
absorb the humidity from the wet sand mass.
The main disadvantage of this class of methods is the plugging effect and blocking with
fine particles of the filter media and hence a complicated and expensive method implying an
elaborated approach to keep the filter media clean. Also at the known methods there is a
15 remanent salinity which is affecting the quality of the produced concrete endangering the concrete
structures.
It is an object ofthis invention to ~.limin~te the above disadvantages and to provide a
system able to separate completely the sand from the salts.
Summary of the invention
In aim to ~limin~te the above disadvantages a system for sepal~h-g sand from saline
solutions is proposed comprising:
a) a shaft,
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b)a bearing,
c)whereby the shaft is supported in the bearing,
d) driving means,
e) whereby the driving means are driving the said shaft,
f) a solid circular disk,
g) a deflecting cone,
h) whereby the solid circular disk has its axis of rotation coincident with the axis of
rotationofthe said shaft,
i)whereby the solid circular disk is rigidized with the said shaft,
il) whereby the driving means are driving the shaft generating at least 1000 g
centrifugal force at the periphery of the solid circular disk,
j)whereby the deflecting cone is rigidized with the said circular disk, their axis of
symmetry coinciding,
k)a cylindrical drum having the same outside diameter as the solid circular disk and this
cylindrical drum having radially disposed holes, and having on the inside surface
filtering means in form of a cylindrical layer having the outer surface coincident
with the inner surface of the cylindrical drum,
I)whereby the cylindrical drum with holes and with filtering means being rigidized with
the solid circular disk in such a way that their axis of symmetry is coinciding,m) a solid ring having the inside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the filtering
means and the outside diameter larger than the outside diameter of the cylindrical drum,
n)whereby the solid ring being rigidized with the cylindrical drum,
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o) a cylindrical envelope, having the inner diameter larger than the outside diameter of
the cylindrical drum with holes,
p) a collection pan in form of a semitoroidal structure resembling with a car tire cut
symmetrically in half in the plane of symmetry perpendicular on the axis of rotation,
r) whereby the collection pan is rigidized with the cylindrical envelope in such a way that
the outer diameter of the collection pan is coincident with the outer diameter of the
cylindrical envelope,
s)draining means for the collection pan,
sl) a sealing disk connected in a tight manner with the collection pan at the inside
diameter of it and having sealing means on the shaft,
t)a feeding funnel,
u) an actuator,
v)whereby the actuator is designed to raise or lower the funnel,
w)whereby the feeding funnel has a lower discharging part and an upper feeding part
16 ,and the lower discharging part is placed above the deflecting cone, and the axis of
the feeding funnel is coincident with the axis of the deflecting cone and with the axis of
the cylindrical drum with holes,
x)whereby when a bulk material is coming on the feeding funnel and the funnel is vertical,it
will be possible to achieve an effect of " flood loading" by which the flow can be blocked
by simply lowering the funnel without closing the gap between the conical deflector and
the edges of the lower part of the funnel, in this way being possible to adjust the flow rate
at the lowerpartofthe funnel,
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y)feeding means,
z) the feeding means feeding the feeding funnel,
al) an enclosed discharging hood having a helical dischalging path padded with
ultrahigh molecular wight polyethylene for reducing the friction and wear,
a2) whereby the discharging hood is rigidized to the cylindrical envelope, and the
helical path having the inner diameter equal with the outside diameter of the cylindrical
envelope,
a3) a termination, closing baffle in form of a rect~n~ r object having the upper part
rigidized with the beginning of the spiral path and the bottom part with one edge free
, the closing baffle being in vertical position,
a4)whereby the all objects mentioned above having axis of symmetry, have this axis in
vertical position,
a5) air saturation means in form of steam distributing means distributing steam in the
interior space of the system, to keep the air inside the system all the time saturated,
a6)whereby all elements described before con~titutin3~ the sand separator system being
made of an appl upliate corrosive resistant material like stainless steel;
The way of operation of the sand separation system from saline solutions is as
follows:
The wet sand is coming via the feeding means to the feeding funnel, where the wet sand
20 is falling down on the fùnnel, reaching the deflecting cone ,where the sand is spread by impact
radially in the direction of the filtering means ;meantime the driving means are driving /rotating
the assembly made of the cylindrical drum with holes, the filtering means and the solid ring
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,generating a centrifugal force field pushing the wet sand against the walls of the cylindrical drum
padded with the filtering means; now, because of the centrifugal field in excess of 1000 g at the
periphery of the solid disk, the sand and the saline water are pushed against the filtering means
where the sand cannot pass, but the saline water is passing reaching the holes in the cylinder with
5 holes, and reaching finally the cylindrical envelope, wherethe water is dripping down to the
semitorroidal collector with draining means from where the water is drained; meantime
everywhere inside of the machine we have a saturated atmosphere produced by the steam
distribution means so that to avoid any evaporation of water from the sand which in turn will
generate the crystallization of the salts on the sand particles; the sand, being exposed to strong
10 Coriolis and centrifugal forces in excess of 1000 g will be pressed against the inner surface of
the rotating assembly and will flow in upward direction, while the saline water will go through the
filtering media and through the holes in the cylindrical drum - being finally collected ,drained in the
semitorroidal pan; meantime, the sand, dried of saline water but saturated with water vapours,
will rise to the top moving slowly upwards in a thin layer, reaching the solid ring and simply
15 escaping in the enclosed discharging hood, where by simply sliding on the spiral path , is
reaching the exit of the separator under the baffle;
The prelill~inaly experiments with this class of processes proved that at over 1000 g the
sand is totally separated from water and the air saturation principle is avoiding any crystallization
on the sand particles.
20 Brief description of the drawin~s
The above and other objects,features and advantages of the invention will be better understood
by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which,
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Fig. 1 is a section through the sand separation system.
Fig 2. is a perspective view of the helical path for sand discharging.
Detailed description of the drawings and prerel~ed embodiments
In aim to çlimin~te the above disadvantages a system for sepal~ing sand from saline
5 solutions is proposed comprising:
a) a shaft 1,
b)a bearing 2.
c)whereby the shaft is supported in the bearing,
d) driving means 3,
e) whereby the driving means are driving the said shaft,
f) a solid circular disk 4,
g) a deflecting cone 5,
h) whereby the solid circular disk 4 has its axis of rotation coincident with the axis of
rotationofthe said shaft,
i)whereby the solid circular disk 4 is rigidized with the said shaft,
il) whereby the driving means 3 are driving the shaft 1 generating at least 1000 g
centrifugal force at the periphery of the solid circular disk,
j)whereby the deflecting cone 5 is rigidized with the said circular disk 4, their axis of
symmetry coinciding,
k)a cylindrical drum 6having the same outside diameter as the solid circular disk and this
cylindrical drum having radially disposed holes 7, and having on the inside surface
filtering means 8 in form of a cylindrical layer having the outer surface coincident
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_ 7
with the inner surface of the cylindrical drum,
I)whereby the cylindrical drum with holes and with filtering means being rigidized with
the solid circular disk 4 in such a way that their axis of symmetry is coinciding,
m) a solid ring 9 having the inside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the filtering
means and the outside diameter larger than the outside diameter of the cylindrical drum,
n)whereby the solid ring 9 being rigidized with the cylindrical drum 6,
o) a cylindrical envelope 10, having the inner diameter larger than the outside diameter of
the cylindrical drum with holes 6,
p) a collection pan 11 in form of a semitoroidal structure resembling with a car tire cut
symmetrically in half in the plane of symmetry perpendicular on the axis of rotation,
r) whereby the collection pan is rigidized with the cylindrical envelope in such a way that
the outer diameter of the collection pan is coincident with the outer diameter of the
cylindrical envelope,
s)draining means 12 for the collection pan 11,
sl) a sealing disk 12a connected in a tight manner with the collection pan 11 at the inside
diameter of it and having sealing means 12b on the shaft 1
t)a feedingfunnel 13,
u) an actuator 14,
v)whereby the actuator is designed to raise or lower the funnel,
w)whereby the feeding funnel has a lower discharging part 15 and an upper feeding part
16 ,and the lower discharging part is placed above the deflecting cone 5, and the axis of
the feeding funnel is coincident with the axis of the deflecting cone and with the axis of
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the cylindrical drum with holes 6,
x)whereby when a bulk material is coming on the feeding funnel and the funnel is vertical,it
will be possible to achieve an effect of " flood loading" by which the flow can be blocked
by simply lowering the funnel without closing the gap between the conical deflector and
the edges of the lower part of the funnel, in this way being possible to adjust the flow rate
at the lower part of the funnel,
y)feeding means 17,
z) the feeding means 17 feeding the feeding funnel 16,
al) an enclosed discharging hood 18 having a helical discharging path 19 padded with
ultrahigh molecular wight polyethylene for reducing the friction and wear,
a2) whereby the discharging hood 18 is rigidized to the cylindrical envelope 10, and the
helical path having the inner diameter equal with the outside diameter of the cylindrical
envelope 10,
a3) a termination, closing baffle 20 in form of a rect~n~ r object having the upper part
rigidized with the beginning ofthe spiral path and the bottom part with one edge 21 free
, the closing baffle being in vertical position,
a4)whereby the all objects mentioned above having axis of symmetry, have this axis in
vertical position,
a5) air saturation means 21 in forrn of steam distributing means distributing steam 21a
in the interior space 22 of the system, to keep the air inside the system all the time
saturated,
a6)whereby all elements described before constituting the sand separator system being
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made of an appropliate corrosive resistant material like stainless steel;
The way of operation of the sand separation system from saline solutions is as
follows:
The wet sand is coming via the feeding means 17 to the feeding funnel 16, where the wet
S sand is falling down on the funnel, reaching the deflecting cone S,where the sand is spread by
impact radially in the direction of the filtering means 8;meantime the driving means 3 are driving
/rotating the assembly made of the cylindrical drum with holes 6, the filtering means 8 and the
solid ring 9,generating a centrifugal force field pushing the wet sand against the walls of the
cylindrical drum 6 padded with the filtering means 8; now, because of the centrifugal field in
10 excess of 1000 g at the periphery of the solid disk 4, the sand and the saline water are pushed
against the filtering means 8 where the sand cannot pass, but the saline water is passing reaching
the holes in the cylinder with holes 6, and reaching finally the cylindrical envelope 10, wherethe
water is dripping down to the semitorroidal collector 11 with draining means 12 from where the
water is drained; meantime everywhere inside of the machine we have a saturated atmosphere
15 produced by the steam distribution means 21 so that to avoid any evaporation of water from the
sand which in turn will generate the crystallization of the salts on the sand particles; the sand,
being exposed to strong Coriolis and centrifugal forces in excess of 1000 g will be pressed
against the inner surface of the rotating assembly and will flow in upward direction, while the
saline water will go through the filtering media and through the holes in the cylindrical drum -
20 being finally collected ,drained in the semitorroidal pan 11; meantime, the sand, dried of salinewater but saturated with water vapors, will rise to the top moving slowly upwards in a thin l
ayer,
reaching the solid ring 9 and simply escaping in the enclosed discharging hood 18, where by
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simply sliding on the spiral path, is reaching the exit ofthe separator under the baffle 21;
The preliminary experiments with this class of processes proved that at over 1000 g the
sand is totally separated from water and the air saturation principle is avoiding any cryst~ 1ion
on the sand particles.
